ROAD TRIP - Christchurch to Timaru

A journey through Timaru

Christchurch to Pleasant Point to Timaru via SH 1 2hr 2min, 180km

SIDE TRIP - Timaru to Waimate via SH 1 34min, 44.3km

Christchurch to Timaru on SH 1 is straight and easy, through wide open rural South Island with views of the Southern Alps for company. It’s serious farming territory with plenty of little towns and settlements along the way, all able to provide refreshments and other reasons to stop.

Rākaia is the first town you’ll come to, about 57km south of Christchurch. Here, you’ll cross the longest bridge in the southern hemisphere. Ashburton is a mature, interesting town. It’s between Rākaia and Rangitata rivers so is an ideal base for fishing and watersports. At Timaru, a detour inland on SH 8 leads to Pleasant Point. It’s just over two hours drive to Pleasant Point from Christchurch. Having enjoyed time there, it’s back on track toward the coast again and onwards to Timaru, only 19km away.

HIGHLIGHTS

Art and culture, both historic and contemporary, play a significant part of this journey, alongside an equally satisfying outdoor pursuits scene.

ASHBURTON ART GALLERY This is a vibrant cultural hub well worth your time. Located on the first floor of the Ashburton Art Gallery and Heritage Centre on SH 1, it is a place for everyone, with regularly changing exhibitions of contemporary art made by local and national artists.

TEMUKA Originally named ‘Te Umu Kaha’ which translates to ‘long-lasting ovens’, a name that pays homage to the earth ovens Māori people used to cook the local cabbage trees, Temuka is fittingly famous these days for its pottery. Friendly locals welcome all, whether you want to purchase local wares, visit a fruit winery, play 18 holes or visit the memorial of Richard Pearse, an aviation pioneer.

Temuka Pottery

© Temuka Pottery

TE ANA MĀORI ROCK ART CENTRE, TIMARU In the Landing Services Building on George Street, you’ll find eight treasures: Māori rock art, created hundreds of years ago, cut from the Ōpihi site and now preserved for you to see. Guided tours by Ngāi Tahu, the descendants of those who made the art, reveal the historic and cultural stories behind these taonga. There is also an option to take a guided tour from the centre out to Ōpihi where examples of Māori rock art are in situ.

Māori-Ngāi Tahu rock art of taniwha, Timaru farmland

© South Canterbury

AIGANTIGHE ART GALLERY Timaru’s public art gallery is one of the best. It has a permanent collection including works by New Zealand master Colin McCahon, Frances Hodgkins and Charles Goldie, and hosts local and national artists in regularly changing exhibitions.

TIMARU’S PENGUINS These cute little blues, kororā, are international celebrities. They measure just over 25cm tall and weigh around 1kg. You can spy them, from a respectful distance, at Caroline Bay, where they live in rocky places in the Timaru Port area.

SOUTH CANTERBURY MUSEUM Dedicated to South Canterbury’s people, places and past, this museum has a delightful eccentricity. A miscellany of invaluable specimens, artefacts, images, and documents chronicle the region’s heritage.

CAROLINE BAY BIRD AVIARY Visitors flock to see the bright-feathered birds in this Timaru icon. The dome-like structure is home to budgies, lovebirds, pheasants and some parrots and cockatiels with big personalities.

CENTRAL TIMARU HISTORIC WALKS A quick-fire way to get to know Timaru. Stroll past heritage architecture such as the Landing Service Building used for unloading ships circa 1870, and the famous Grosvenor Hotel redeveloped in 1915 Edwardian Baroque-style. Allow at least 30 minutes.

VICTORIA PARK, WAIMATE All but a five-minute walk from the centre of Waimate. Make use of the playground (designed by children, no less), a scented garden, disc golf course, outdoor bowls and wallaby enclosure. There are camping facilities for those ready to chill.

WAINONO LAGOON Superb for bird enthusiasts, discover scores of migratory wading birds. The lagoon hosts over 50 species of waterfowl and fish, including various threatened breeds.

TIMARU TRAILS APP This handy little app will help you decide how to spend your time while in Canterbury. Set off on a self-guided tour to roam the museum route, shop the vintage trail or eat your way around the region.

STOP OFF IN ASHBURTON

Ashburton Domain boasts cricket fields and croquet; ponds and playgrounds; a summer splash pool and pretty gardens.

Bellbird

© Shellie Evans

Perched between the Rākaia and Rangitata rivers, Ashburton is an ideal place to head if you’re into fly fishing. Both rivers are known for salmon and sea-run trout.

There are other sports to enjoy on the rivers, too, such as jetting and kayaking, and lovely walks around the river edges. A walkway along the edge of RĀKAIA GORGE, a three to four hour return trip, takes you past spectacular geological features including river carved terraces.

Inland from Ashburton, MT SOMERS on the eastern edge of the Southern Alps offers some pretty special backcountry walks and tramps.

LAKE HOOD on the outskirts of Ashburton is a paradise for water enthusiasts. Don’t miss The Lake House for a glass of wine on the deck.

ASHBURTON itself is a lively, interesting town with high quality shopping, a good range of cafés, restaurants, art galleries and museums. In fact, there are six museums in Ashburton including a vintage railway museum, aviation museum and car museum. Ashburton’s gardens, public and private, are famously spectacular.

Stop for a selfie with the RĀKAIA SALMON STATUE. Complete with playground, big red tractor and human sized hamster wheel.

Rākaia salmon statue

© Mid Canterbury Tourism

Ō TŪ WHAREKAI Like the filling between two towering mountain ranges, Ō Tū Wharekai is a wetland system of snow-fed lakes, braided rivers and ecosystems, sandwiched between two Southern Alp peaks. It’s also one of New Zealand’s best examples of an unspoiled, intermontane wetland system stamped with kettle holes and busy with wildlife.

Lake Clearwater, Ashburton Lakes

© Mid Canterbury Tourism

PLEASANT POINT

This lovely, welcoming town is home to the PLEASANT POINT MUSEUM AND RAILWAY which has the world’s only Ford Model T railcar, fully operational steam locomotives and regular steaming days when engines pull carriages short haul, the old way.

While you’re in the area, explore the ŌPIHI RIVER STOP BACK TRACK on foot or on bike. PLEASANT POINT DOMAIN on SH 8 is a great place for the kids to run wild across 36 hectares and if you want to spend the night, the domain’s camping ground is well facilitated.

Pleasant Point train

© South Canterbury Tourism

TIMARU

Timaru is located about midway between Dunedin and Christchurch, making it an ideal place to stay on your South Island road trip.

> South Canterbury Museum

> Aigantighe Art Gallery

> Te Ana Māori Rock Art Centre

> Caroline Bay

> Timaru Botanic Gardens

The Face of Peace, Timaru Port

© South Canterbury Tourism

A port city, Timaru is the second-largest city in Canterbury. From its super safe swimming spot – Caroline Bay – to its beautiful botanic gardens and Edwardianstyle setting, you’re bound to like what you see. The town centre, paved and with plenty of gardens, is linked to the beach by a piazza.

Timaru’s history is quite dramatic. Once-upon-a-time, Mt Horrible, a now extinct volcano erupted, and its basalt formed the undulating landscape and iconic harbour of Timaru.

The wider Timaru District has recreation down to a fine art. From spending time with the smallest penguins in the world to finding inspiration at the museum, art gallery and sculpture garden, there’s something foreveryone. A highlight on Timaru’s calendar is the annual Caroline Bay Carnival which runs for two weeks from Boxing Day and includes a fabulous New Year’s Eve fireworks display.

Waimātaitai Beach, Timaru

© Adobe Stock

SIDE TRIP - REMARKABLE WAIMATE

From a juicy strawberry fare to roaming wallabies and a giant white horse, Waimate is an endless surprise.

Turn off to Waimate, SH 1

© Waimate District Council

Waimate is a thriving town rich in history and Edwardian architecture. Explore stunning landscapes, the great outdoors and vibrant small country towns when you visit this district. Experience breathtaking walking and biking tracks, world-class fishing and hunting and fabulous destination shops. There’s no end of great eateries and top camping sites in pretty locations.

The Waimate Museum offers an intriguing peek into Waimate’s past and four grain silos on the main street depict more of the town’s history with giant murals of notable townsfolk. Stroll around town and view the incredible collection of vibrant murals by artist Bill Scott. Waimate Art Society recently opened a modern art gallery showcasing local artists work.

Drive, mountain bike or walk to the iconic White Horse monument; created from 1200 concrete slabs that have been embedded into the Waimate hillside to create a giant white stallion. Three new viewing platforms are the perfect place to soak in the panoramic views by day and at night the glowin-the-dark paint allows the horse to light up making it visible from SH 1.

Knottingley Park, Waimate

© Sam Roberts

Introduced from Australia in 1874 wallabies can sometimes be seen bounding in the wild. For guaranteed sightings, head to the enclosure at Victoria Park or EnkleDooVery Korna, a private wallaby park.

Wallaby, Waimate

© Adobe Stock